IN COMPANY LANGUAGE TRAINING

Nowadays, more than ever, companies are acquiring an international perspective: clients and suppliers are as likely to be foreign as national, dealings with partner companies from other countries are increasing, English is becoming the official language of many organisations. The need for employees to be able to operate effectively in second languages is greater than ever.

Cambridge School has been increasingly involved in providing In-Company language training in companies across El Vallès Oriental during the last 20 years. In this time we have gained a wide experience of working in different kinds of company: from multinationals to family owned businesses, from production to service industries, and of teaching all levels of employee, directors, heads of department, administrative staff, production workers etc

The Cambridge School Business Department has created a team of teachers with experience of the linguistic needs and learning styles of company employees; it has also developed a support network for teachers involved in language training, along with a wide range of pedagogical resources to meet the needs expressed by our clients.

 

Advantages of language training with Cambridge School

• We can provide classes on the company's premises which means that employees don't have to waste their valuable time travelling to and from our schools in Granollers, Caldes de Montbui, Cardedeu or La Garriga.

• Groups are made up of employees of the same company thereby allowing their similar needs and interests to be addressed. This also permits cooperation between employees in contexts other than work , allowing team-building to take place.

• We have experience of working with individual students or large groups of up to ten students.

• We consult company Training Departments and individual students to establish the aims and objectives of courses and we design the approach and contents of courses to meet these.

• We produce a syllabus showing the material to be covered by groups and indicating when their progress will be measured through tests or exams.

• Twice a year Cambridge School conducts feedback from the students, the results of which allow us to reflect and make any necessary changes to the objectives or approach to the courses.

• Cambridge School offers classes from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm on week days and can start new courses at any time during the year. So there will always be a time when employees can receive language training.

• It is also possible to receive language training during the months of July and September when many other academies are on summer holiday.

• Cambridge School will send a monthly report to the company indicating the attendance and general performance of each student along with personalised comments and recommendations from the teacher.

 

Cambridge School In-Company courses

Cambridge School prides itself on the range of courses
we are able to provide our clients.

Our standard In-Company courses are:

• General English courses: we usually offer these at lower levels so that students acquire the fundamentals of English.

• English for Work courses: these courses extend the basic language knowledge of our students and start applying it in work related contexts. This kind of course is usually popular at intermediate levels.

• Business English courses: the main emphasis in these courses is to extend and perfect a student's ability to use English effectively at work through activities focussed on topics arising in the business world. We usually run these courses for higher level students.

All these courses are based on published teaching materials which we have carefully selected from those available on the market.

Apart from the general courses described above, Cambridge School can adapt its standard courses to include particular areas of interest for individual companies and also offer more specialised courses to meet very specific needs; for example:

• individual classes focussing on written communications.

• conversation classes to improve oral communicative ability

• courses which prepare students for University of Cambridge ESOL examinations such as the Business English Certificates (BEC), First Certificate (FCE), Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) and Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

• courses with a focus on areas such as listening, telephoning, grammar, vocabulary etc

Cambridge School has two general objectives for all its courses.

1:For the courses to be useful so that students can see that they are becoming better able to use English effectively. To achieve this we place importance on both communicative ability and grammatical and lexical accuracy.

2:For the courses to be enjoyable so that students learn better and are motivated by the language learning process. To achieve these we use a variety of resources and techniques to create a dynamic, engaging classroom atmosphere.

How our courses work

• Cambridge School will send general information and a quote to any company that expresses interest in receiving language training.

• If the company wishes to receive language training, a member of the Business Department team will visit the company for two purposes.

    1. To speak to the Training Department so as to define broad objectives of the courses
    2. To conduct level tests of the students so as to place them into groups of similar abilities. The entrance test consists of two parts; firstly a written test of grammatical and lexical accuracy, secondly a short interview in which the oral communicative level of the student is assessed. As part of the interview we also seek to define the ways in which the student uses English at work and their personal needs, objectives and learning styles.

• Cambridge School will communicate the results of the level testing process to the company and finalise details of the contract.

• Using the information arising from the level testing visit, the Business Department will plan and design a course appropriate to the needs of the company.

• In the first lesson the teacher will conduct a needs analysis activity with the students so as to finalise the contents, approach and aims of the course.

• Every month the teacher writes a report commenting on the attendance and performance of each student, which Cambridge School sends to the company's training department.

• In December Cambridge School conducts a Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire, thereby allowing the students to comment on the quality of the service they are receiving and make any suggestions as to the future direction of the course.

• In June Cambridge School conducts an end of course feedback, the results of which help us begin to plan for any future courses.

In addition to the above programme, Cambridge School welcomes the opportunity to have regular contact with Training Departments concerning any aspect of the service we provide.

Should you require any further information about our In Company courses, contact Cambridge School admin@cambridgeschool.com

ENGLISH FOR WORK COURSES

Being able to use English at work is nowadays more important than ever. Companies need employees with language skills to participate in international meetings, receive visitors, deal with foreign contacts by email or telephone and to conduct the many other aspects of modern business that require proficiency in English. Nowadays, having a certain level of English is, on its own, not enough. It is essential to be able to apply that level of English effectively in work related contexts.

In recognition of this reality, Cambridge School has started offering English for Work courses. These courses have proved to be very popular with professionals who have a need to use English at work and recognise that traditional General English courses alone are not sufficient.

English for Work courses

• Cambridge School English for Work courses aim to improve students' communicative abilities in the four skills areas of English (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and to improve students' grammatical and lexical range and accuracy.

• These aims are realised through activities and exercises based on topics and situations which form part of the modern business world.

• All the courses are based on carefully selected course books designed for students who need to be able to use English efficiently for international business.

• Each course has a programme of studies indicating the pace and contents to be covered. This programme of studies can vary depending on the specific needs of each group. Cambridge School teachers always negotiate the exact content of the course and use the pedagogical resources in Cambridge School to supplement the standard English for Work course to ensure it meets the needs of our students.

• Cambridge School conducts customer satisfaction questionnaires in December and June in which students can feedback on the quality of their courses. The results of this feedback allow us to make suggested changes to the courses and to design future courses which are of relevance to the needs of our clients.

• Continuous assessment in the form of regular progress tests and exams is also programmed. The aim of this assessment is twofold; firstly to measure students' progress and also to diagnose areas which require more emphasis.

• All English for Work courses are organised and taught by the Cambridge School Business Department, with many years experience of teaching professionals in El Vallès Oriental.

More details

• Cambridge School offers English for Work courses at the following levels:

- Pre-intermediate

- Intermediate

- Upper-intermediate

- Advanced

• The courses take place in Cambridge School in the centre of Granollers.

• The courses are programmed for one session of between 2 and 3 hours in the evening once a week between Monday and Thursday.

• The courses run from October to June.

• Students are placed in groups of between 5 and 15 students according to the results of the Cambridge School entrance test.

• English for Work students have full access to all the resources and extra materials which Cambridge School offers all its students who want extra practice.


CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL
  Plaça Manel Montanyà, 4 - 08400 Granollers (Spain)
Tel. +34 93 870 2001 - Fax +34 93 879 5111

e-mail: admin@cambridgeschool.com